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Ensuring Healthy Food Access To All

Ensuring Healthy Food Access To All

April 18, 2012 Roots of Change

Congress is hard at work on the reauthorization of a U.S Farm Bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee has completed four Congressional hearings and reports indicate the Senate would like to have a bill ready to present by the end of April. Michigan Senator and Chairwoman of the Committee on Agriculture, Debbie Stabenow, has included a SNAP local food incentive program in this year’s Farm Bill.  But before Senator Stabenow can move forward with the proposed language, we need your help to get California’s Senators on board to support this effort.

For the past three years, Roots of Change has been working to connect low-income families to farmers and farmers markets through the California Farmers' Market Consortium (CFMC). The CFMC has provided incentives to help disadvantaged communities increase their access to healthier and more nutritious food while helping our local farmers thrive in 130 markets in the state. The CFMC’s incentive program is an ideal model of how Stabenow’s effort can be implemented nationwide. A local incentive program promotes healthy food access, community wellbeing and nutrition for all Californians.


Taking action is simple! Call your Senators and ask them to “support a SNAP local food incentive program” in the next Farm Bill.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(202) 224-3841

Sen. Barbara Boxer
(202) 224-3553

Tell your senators: California has a local SNAP incentive program currently funded by foundations. It is working for those who need it most. Foundations cannot be expected to fund it forever and we cannot risk losing it. As your constituent, I am asking you to please support Chairwoman Stabenow’s proposal for a local food incentive program in the next Farm Bill.


Making a call right now has a big impact – we thank you for time and support.

Let us know how your call to our Senators went by sending an email to [email protected]

For additional resources on the CFMC please check out the following links:

The California Farmers' Market Consortium

Healthy Food Incentives Cluster Evaluation